NEPAL, December 9, 2024 (Vivekananda International Foundation, by Hari Bansh Jha): Nepal, a nation with deep-rooted cultural traditions, was declared a secular state in 2008 after centuries as a Hindu kingdom. This transformation, driven by ideals of equality and inclusivity, was expected to unify the country’s various religious and cultural groups. Instead, secularism has led to growing discontent, particularly among…
UNITED KINGDOM, December 15, 2024 (The Telegraph): “Plant-based diets are in a tough moment,” says Dr. Marco Springmann. “Ten years ago there was a lot of excitement about them. As senior researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, Springmann is tackling one of the most contentious food issues of our time: what alternatives should we embrace to replace…
JAMMU & KASHMIR, December 9, 2024 (ETV Bharat): In a major feat, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra attracted over 9 million pilgrims for the third consecutive year since 2022. Anshul Garg, CEO of the Shrine Board, shared this news on X (previously Twitter) in a post celebrating the consistent devotion of people from across the globe. The…
JAMMU & KASHMIR, November 22, 2024 (Religion Unplugged): After two decades of silence, the Arde Nareshwar Temple at Nadimarg in South Kashmir has reopened its doors, rekindling faith, memories and the promise of unity. Nestled in the serene yet scarred landscapes of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Arde Nareshwar Temple stood as a silent witness to one of the darkest…
SINGAPORE, December 11, 2024 (Sassy Mama): Thaipusam, the Hindu thanksgiving festival is celebrated on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai. The 2025 Thaipusam festival will be on Tuesday 11 February 2025 in Little India, Singapore and will see live music stations along the 2.5 mile walk from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Serangoon Road to…
INDIA, December 7, 2024 (All That’s Interesting): Nageswara Swamy temple in India has officially been rediscovered after 80 years buried in sand. Experts believe that the 200-year-old structure in Perumallapadu started to be swallowed up with the massive floods of 1850 — and was completely filled and covered with sand and sediment by 1940. According to The Smithsonian, archaeologist Ramasubba…
TIRUCHI, INDIA, December 5, 2024 (The Hindu): A bathing pond and other facilities for 33-year-old Lakshmi – the temple elephant of the Arulmigu Thayumanaswamy temple, Rockfort, at Tiruchi has been created in a spacious piece of land belonging to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department at Devadhanam. The new facilities have been created at a total cost of US$59,000…
UNITED STATES, December 6, 2024 (Instagram): Here’s how one child explains God in this very unusual video: “God is an energy used to create souls and souls have that energy in them. If you take the God energy away from something it becomes nothing. If someone doesn’t believe in God then I guess you don’t believe in yourself because every…
PARIS FRANCE, December 2, 2024 (English.Jagran) The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Paris is expected to be completed by 2026. The construction of the BAPS temple in Paris began six months ago at a site sanctified by Pramukh Swami 36 years ago with a symbolic shower of flowers. The temple’s construction is progressing rapidly. The Hindu temple, spanning approximately 5,000…
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, December 1, 2024 (Tempo.co): The Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mayerfas, inaugurated the first pura (a Balinese-style Hindu temple) in the Netherlands on Saturday, November 30, 2024. The pura is located in Indonesia Park, Kallenkote, Overijssel, The Netherlands. “This pura is not only a place for worship rituals for the Balinese Hindus in the Netherlands and surroundings, but…
